Dear Freya
by puppiez-lover
Summary: Whitney has just moved and is growing accustomed to her new life while writing to Freya, her pen pal. However, with the help of new townsfolk and a series of events and introspections, life may never be the same for her again. *WARNING: SHOUJO-AI*
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Edenton

_Dear Freya,_

_I'm writing to you now to let you know that my pilgrimage to another village was very successful! I can already see that life at Edenton will be much different than life in Peartree ever was. It's much more secluded and seems a bit quainter than I'm used to; the taxi that picked me up simply brought me all the way to town. There isn't even a train station around! No citizens came flocking after my arrival to town, either. It can really make a girl feel unloved to have that happen. Perhaps it was a bad idea to move here in the first place…_

…_No, that can't be true. When an impulse to move of that strength shows itself, it's vital that I adhere to it! Still, I can't lie and say I won't miss the town terribly. Leaving such a group behind is always troublesome. If you knew the ones I left behind, you'd more than likely think the same thing. I suppose I'll miss Bangle the most…she and I always had the strongest bond in the village. She always seemed so overjoyed to hear about all of the events that have taken place in my life. She's always lived in Peartree, so it's understandable; still, I would love to keep in touch with her. Good friends like her are hard to find. Of course, there's also Stu and Zoe, both of them as sweet as sugar. They bothered me a little bit, to be honest, but luckily they're together now, so they'll be spending less time thinking about me. I'm sure you remember the drama I told you about pertaining to them. Tom will also be someone I'll miss…he argued constantly and never let me get a word in edgewise, but his passion was very refreshing. And of course, we both know I won't miss Rio at all. Not in the least._

_Unfortunately, my heart lingers on the final name…Leopold. We both know this is his fault to begin with. It was just difficult to see him at all, Freya. Every time his face appeared, I'd begin to feel foolish, hurt, and doubtful about everything I did. A breakup has never been as hard as this before! It's HIS fault this happened, though, not mine. His little lip locks with Rio were his own doing. I suppose I should've seen it coming…I usually can. Rasher taught me that. But this was a shocker. Lions are supposed to have a strong sense of fidelity, aren't they? Maybe that's just a racial stereotype, I'm not sure. But if stereotypes come into play, then it makes sense for me to move. Wolves are wanderers._

_But I digress; I couldn't stay on topic when writing to you if my life depended on it, could I? _:) _This was simply to let you know that things are moving along relatively smoothly. Get back to me when you can. I can hardly wait to hear from you._

_Yours truly,_

_Whitney_

With her signature finally marked on her favorite stationary, Whitney set the pen down and stuck her next letter in the envelope. Soulful K.K. was playing on the radio, which seemed strangely fitting for writing it. She glanced at the clock and saw it was still just four in the afternoon. Upon realizing she'd just arrived in town about a half hour beforehand, she giggled quietly to herself. Had it really only been a few minutes since she'd begun writing? She shook her head and switched off the radio, one of only four items she'd actually unpacked, as she made her way for the door to try and find the post office without even a map.

The approaching sunset shone on Whitney's pale face, causing her to squint and to bring her hand to her face while she looked around. Edenton really was a bit smaller than Peartree; she could practically see the roofs of some of the other homes a fair distance away. Even when she turned around, Whitney could see the roof of the post office; it was a bit closer than she thought it'd be. She took a deep breath of fresh air and grinned slightly. _Well, this is my new home,_ she thought. _I may as well make the best of it._ She began to stroll down a somewhat visible dirt path that she'd taken to find her home when she arrived. Her mind regressed to her cab driver, Kapp'n, who had informed her that the town hall and the post office were in the same building while pathetically and disgustingly attempting to flirt with her, asking way too many questions to keep a girl feeling comfortable. She shuffled through her papers to make sure everything was in order; many towns required citizens to show the deed to their homes to ensure that they really were residents. _Some towns can be so paranoid,_ Whitney thought. _I'll never understand society these days, especially in places like this._

The town plaza was one of the few areas she'd seen that reminded her of home; the layouts were very similar, sans a few small differences. The town hall was the biggest. She opened the door slowly, in case it was the wrong building; luckily, it wasn't. Whitney shut the door and walked in, first noticing a white pelican filing letters behind the front desk. The pelican looked up and grinned as she noticed Whitney cautiously entering.

"Oh, good afternoon! May I help you?" she asked politely.

Whitney stepped back slightly, not expecting such a pleasant attitude from a social worker. Many at her old town were a bit sarcastic and apathetic, so the pelican's smile and bright eyes were a large change. "Um, yes, that would be lovely. My name is Whitney, and I just moved into the new house down the road-"

"Yes! Of course! Welcome to Edenton, Ms. Whitney!" exclaimed the pelican, crossing in front of the counter to shake hands with Whitney. "My name is Pelly. I work here at customs with my sister Phyllis…we basically keep tabs on the town and all its citizens here, so if you ever need any information, feel free to stop by, alright?" Pelly explained happily. "I'm assuming you've already paid off the necessary debt for the purchase of the home?"

"Debt…? Do you mean the 50,000 bells that they charged me a few weeks ago?" asked Whitney, growing slightly worried.

"Mhmm! It's great that you did because that really saves us a bit of time." Pelly walked back to the counter and retrieved a little device, which she then handed to Whitney. "Now, while we may look like a small town and everything, we're actually a bit more advanced than some might think. This little doohickey here electronically keeps tabs on everything you really need. It shows your inventory so you'll always know if you've lost something. It identifies fish, bugs and fossils, if you enjoy those sorts of things, and it also displays your map when you need it."

Whitney perked up suddenly. "A map?"

"Yes! That's the beauty of its being electronic. Whenever a citizen moves in or out, it lets you know where the new inhabitant lives automatically, along with who's moved out. It can be quite helpful if you've got a bad memory." Pelly gave a little smile at her own joke, then pointed towards one side of the counter. "Anyway, there are two main parts to the town hall. This is where you can check up on what the townspeople think of the town, look at charitable opportunities, and discuss terms of moving away." She pointed to the second side. "Then there's this side, which is the main post office area. You can mail and save letters, access your bank account, and pay off any loans you may have in the future, though you'll probably be fine after paying it all at your old town." She sighed as she finished her explanation, seemingly glad to be finished. "It really is a lot to take in, so if you have any questions, remember that you can come back and ask me, alright?"

All that Whitney could do after that explanation was blink and grin as she realized the explanation was over. "Oh, yes, yes, that's fine. Uh…while I'm here, I was hoping I could mail this letter. Is the postman in?"

Pelly smiled distantly as if she were thinking about a fond memory. "He is, but Pete only makes deliveries at nine AM and five PM. He mostly rests the rest of the time because of how far he needs to fly. I'll give this to him when it's time to deliver the mail, though, of course!" She cheerfully snatched up the letter and stuck it in a postbox. "Anything else?"

"No, that'll do it. Thank you for your help, Pelly," said Whitney, as pleasantly as she could. Pelly seemed incredibly friendly and kind, but it was somewhat overwhelming for her first day in town.

"No problem! Thank you for coming, and welcome to Edenton!" Pelly stated happily, waving as Whitney turned tail and began to leave. This was just too much for her to handle at the moment. However, the doorknob turned and the door opened slowly before she could reach it. Her breath caught in her throat a little as the surprise made her step back quickly when she saw who came inside.

It was a koala bear, tan and furry, with large blue eyes, pink barrettes, and a dainty smile. Her broad nose was easily one of the most obvious aspects of her face, but that wasn't why Whitney continued to stare at her; she hardly even noticed the nose. The koala's eyes were almost crystalline, sparkling even under the fluorescent lighting of the town hall. For a moment, the gaze of the two girls caught one another. Whitney felt a strange sensation as the blood seemed to rush from her knees into her face. Their eyes unlocked, and she threw herself out the door, leaving the koala gazing after her, confused. All Whitney could do as she ran away from the town hall was wonder who the mysterious new girl was and why she had such a strong, strange effect on her.

She would need to tell Freya about this as soon as she wrote back.


	2. Chapter 2: Enter Elmer

It's not like she could help it. Her first instinct was to run; all she felt was the wind in her fur, and that's all she wanted to feel. Her knees were weak and shaking, and all logic in her mind told her that running in this condition was a bad idea, but it didn't matter. Buildings and trees passed her as she fled the town hall, but all she could think about was getting away. It wasn't danger, but it was unfamiliar, and that demanding sense of caution was enough. The scent of sea air slowed her down, and the grassy hills gradually turned into sandy beach beneath her. Whitney slowed down and finally came to a halt, bending over as she struggled for breath. Suddenly, her knees buckled beneath her and she toppled over into the sand, panting. She hadn't realized her sudden impulse had knocked as much wind out of her as it did. Whitney lay there, motionless for a while. The longer she remained on the soft, sandy ground, the clearer her mind became, and she got to thinking.

_That was a terrible idea…why did I run so far, anyway? If it wasn't five o'clock when I left the post office, it surely must be now. The post office…that girl! _Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned a light crimson as she remembered the koala**.**_That girl…that girl…what did she do to me? I've never reacted that way before…at least, not to anyone except…what am I thinking? _She shook her head slightly, dismissing the thought. _Impossible. I must be catching something. Or…or maybe it's just stress from the move. That's it. That has to be it! It's a new town, a new start…goodness, I never even LOOKED at the local store__**.**_ She looked out at the sunset before her, which was painting the entire area with a dim orange and golden glow. _…Wow, that's really beautiful. We never had anything quite like this back home…not with the port town being so nearby. That awful stench of fish was always wafting back to shore in the evening. It was all I could smell…smell…she smelled like cinnamon…almost like…apple pieAUGH!!! _ She sat up and smacked herself in the face. _Snap out of it! It's just stress! Don't…_

"What's wrong? You got fleas, tenderfoot? A-huh-huh-huh!" Whitney's thought process was suddenly interrupted by boyish laughter. She quickly turned towards the voice and found herself looking into the long face of a brown horse with kind eyes. He held a shovel in his right hand, fresh with sand and dirt, and he wore a…very interesting sweater. It could be called colorful at best, but in reality, it was just gaudy.

Whitney looked him in the eyes, not sure if she should be insulted or not. "Excuse me?" she questioned.

The horse stepped back, apparently a little intimidated. "Oh, I'm…sorry, I was just joking around a little bit. You know, 'cause you were swatting at your face and…you looked like you were swatting at…y'know, fleas…" he said, trailing off and looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry, I…I didn't mean to offend you."

Whitney sighed, calming down now that she knew he meant nothing by it. "No, it's alright…I'm just a little bit jumpy since I've just moved in. No harm done."

"Oh…OH! No kidding! So you're the one who moved into the new place over by the waterfall?" asked the horse, calming down and sitting a few feet away from Whitney.

_There's a waterfall by my house? _"Apparently, snappy," she said, smiling politely. "My name is Whitney…and you are?"

"Me? I'm Elmer! Nice to meet ya!" stated Elmer, setting down his shovel. "Did'ja just get here or have you just been hiding for a while? By the way you ran down those hills, it looked like you know your way to the beach well enough…"

Whitney looked down, blushing. "Oh, that was…" Only one excuse came to mind, and it wasn't a good one. "There were…there were bees. I wanted a peach, and there…was a peach tree, and it…it had bees."

"And you got away!?" Elmer asked, astonished. "You've gotta be the fastest runner ever if you got away from 'em! I've NEVER gotten away from 'em, and I'm a horse, tenderfoot!"

_Wonderful, now I'm a liar. Nice start for a new town, Whitney._ "Well, I'm not…that fast. I just heard from one of my old neighbors that bees don't like water, so they'll go away if you stay near it. …How often do you get chased by bees, anyway?"

It was Elmer's turn to blush. "…Uhhh…nevermind. Have you met any of the other townspeople besides me, or am I the first?"

"Well, I did go to the town hall, so I met Pelly, but that's the only person I've…" She remembered the koala again. "…FORMALLY met."

"So you did meet someone? What did they look like?"

The blush on Whitney's face grew even more ferocious, and she was forced to look at the sky to pretend she was thinking. "I'm not quite sure, I was rushing out the door when I saw her, but…she was some sort of bear-like creature…I think…" _She smelled like apple pie,_ her brain added. Ignoring her thoughts, Whitney pretended to think more. "She had two little barrettes in, I think…like I said, it was just a quick look."

"A-huhuhuhuh! You mean Alice, I bet!"

The wolf's head snapped towards the horse. "What was that?"

Elmer grinned. "Alice. She's a koala, and one of the nicest girls in the whole village! Prettiest, too…" He looked at the ground, blushing. "Well…ONE of the prettiest now that…" The horse glanced at Whitney, back at the ground, and then shook his head slightly and attempted to change the subject. "Anyway, you should definitely meet the rest of the animals in town sooner or later…we've got more than just three people here, and they're putting in a bus stop soon, so you can maybe meet even more!"

Whitney grinned, slightly embarrassed at Elmer's hinting towards some slight feelings for her. "You know, that's a good idea. Perhaps tomorrow…for now, I should go home and get some dinner." Brushing some sand off her lap, she rose from her spot. "It was nice meeting you, Elmer!"

"Don't mention it…maybe I could even show you around tomorrow?" asked Elmer, looking almost excited about the concept?

Whitney grinned. "Maybe…that'd be nice." With one last wave, she began walking up the path she ASSUMED she'd taken to get to the ocean. It was growing dark, so climbing the path took a slight more effort than it'd taken earlier. After climbing a somewhat steep hill, she noticed a lone peach tree sitting in the middle of a small apple tree grove. _How rare,_ she thought. Reaching up and plucking one, she sat down beneath its shade so she could catch a moment to think. _Elmer...he said…the koala…Alice?_

_I just…need to rest. Resting sounds like a great idea right now…_

With that, Whitney closed her eyes and simply sat, eventually falling asleep underneath her special peach tree.


End file.
